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Jeff Gross touched on a variety of topics - including the big blind ante, poker players boxing and Fortnite.
Antonio Esfandiari Biography
Antonio Esfandiari was the highest earning tournament poker player ever, with total winnings in excess of $25m up until Daniel Negreanu took that title by winning "Big One For One Drop 2014". A large chunk of this was from his $18.3m win in The Big One for One Drop, besting Sam Trickett heads-up to take home the bracelet.
Esfandiari, is also known as 'The Magician', as he was once a professional magician before becoming one of the best and most recognisable faces in modern day poker.
He is always a funny character at the table, and never fails to provide some top quality poker at the same time. Not many people have a bad thing to say about Antonio for obvious reasons. Antonio started playing poker when he was invited to a poker game when he was 19, during the same time he was peforming magic. It seemed from here on he was destined to transfer his magic onto the tables.
He kicked off his incredibly successful career big time when he won almost $1.4m at the LA Poker Classic Event.
Antonio has a very close friendship with fellow poker pro player, Phil Laak. They have been known to create great TV together at the televised table with their wit and generally likable personalities.
Game invented by Antonio Esfandiari & Phil Laak:
Lodden Thinks
The game of Lodden Thinks spiralled from some joking between the two as to what fellow pro Johnny Lodden while the three were at a televised table during a WSOP event. Esfandiari decided that their usual chat was boring and they needed to spice it up a little, so the two came up with Lodden Thinks.
The rules are as follows:
- 3 people are involved in the game, with 2 'betting' against each other, and one being 'Lodden' (ps. this doesn't actually have to be Johnny Lodden surprisingly.)
- Anybody can come up with a question with a numerical answer, and pose it to the group, with 'Lodden' thinking of an answer.
- The two 'bettors' then start off a bidding war as to what they think 'Lodden' would think. This goes on until one of the bettors declares 'I'm under', which means they take any number under what their opponent has just said, which subsequently means the other person takes over that number.
- 'Lodden' then reveals their answer, and depending on where that number lies in under or over, the winner is declared. What is so interesting about the game, is that it does not matter what the actual answer is, it only matters what 'Lodden' thinks the answer is.
A typical game for the minds of poker players.
Take a look at a Lodden Thinks game between Brunson and Ivey.
Wikipedia
Antonio EsfandiariWorld Series Of Poker
Antonio EsfandiariWorld Poker Tour
Antonio EsfandiariPublished 10 years ago
PartyPoker VII - Antonio Esfandiari InterviewInterview with Antonio Esfandiari at the new PartyPoker Premier League VII.
Published 10 years ago
PCA 2014 - Antonio Esfandiari at Super High Roller FTFinal Table was set at Esfandiari was in the mix at the final table!
Published 10 years ago
Michael Phelps and Antonio Esfandiari cheering Jeff Gross WPTPhelps and Antonio railing WPT
Published 10 years ago
Interview - Antonio Esfandiari and Jeff Gross - WPT Alpha8At the WPT Alpha8 Johannesburg
Published 10 years ago
Strip Magic Antonio - Episode 3 - Ultimate PokerEsfandiari takes to the streets of Vegas to show off his magic tricks. UltimatePoker.com
Published 9 years ago
Defense of a Title - Featuring Antonio EsfandiariShort film about Antonio Esfandiari and his title defense in Big One for One Drop
Published 9 years ago
PCA 2014 - $50k Super High Roller Ep03The highest stakes in tournament poker - the $50k PCA Super High Roller. Featuring Vanessa Selbst, Dan Shak, Antonio Esfandiari, P...
Published 9 years ago
Antonio Esfandiari On Howard Stern - Sept 2012Following his $18m Big one for one drop drop victory at the 2012 WSOP, Antonio Esfandiairi stops by the Howard Stern show to talk ...
Published 9 years ago
Antonio Esfandiari - At Burning Man 2013Video Blog of Antonio Esfandiari and Friends at the Burning Man 2013 Event in the Nevada Desert.
Published 9 years ago
Great Poker Hands of Gus Hansen - Part 2More great hands from Gus Hansen
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